The different 5G deployment options defined by 3GPP

There are 10 different deployment options and sub-options defined by 3GPP in the late drop of Release 15. The main options are Option 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7, whereas the sub-options are 3a, 3x, 4a, 7a, and 7x.

Option 2 is SA architecture with a gNB and 5GC. Option 5 consists of 4G Next-Generation eNB (ng-eNB) with 5GC. ng-eNBs are referred to as next-generation since they support 5GC network protocols and are the updated versions of the existing eNBs. Option 3 involves NSA architecture and includes the sub-options of 3a and 3x. The main difference between these sub-options is that some new interfaces have been added in Option 3x – for instance, an S1-U interface between the EPC and the gNB, which didn’t exist in Option 3. Also, the X2 interface between the eNB and the gNB doesn’t exist in 3a but does in 3x.

Option 4 consists of the 5GC and the gNB with an ng-eNB as an NSA architecture and it also includes sub...